BEA'S BOOK NOOK
"I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie's determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Now it's due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue, the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook.

My Thoughts:

Carrie has been living with her aunt and uncle, after years of travel, and working as a float at the local library. She's getting the urge to move on when she's offered a permanent position at the library. She decides to accept, to the dismay of one of her co-workers who thinks she should have gotten the job. At her first big event that she puts on at the library the speaker keels over, dead. It doesn't take long before his death is declared a murder and Carrie gets involved.

I was impressed with the frequency and variety of events the library put
on, especially for such a small town. My library does a good job with
events but the Clover Ridge library does a great job. Carrie was a
clever amateur investigator, working on solving the death of the library
speaker, a retired police detective, and the cold case murder of a former library he
was working on before his death. She used all the resources available to
her and worked with a variety of people.

"Death Overdue" was appealing with its mix of a library setting, murder, mystery, a ghost, small town setting, and romance. Carrie seemed young to me, with her restlessness and unwillingness to settle down but as the story continues, she begins to set down roots and make commitments. She also gets involved, thanks in large part to the library's ghost, Evelyn, a former library employee. I liked Evelyn, and she was useful in Carrie's investigations, but I felt she was poorly defined. How did she die? Why was she a ghost? Why was she at the library? She wasn't haunting it so much as just hanging around. Why weren't more people able to see her? And why was Carrie so casually accepting of a ghost? Hopefully future books will provide clarity.

While I had several guesses as to who the killer was, it wasn't until late in the story that I figured out the killer's identity. There was a most convenient deux ex machina at the end but the rest of the story was tightly written and there's plenty of potential for future stories. Smart, engaging characters, a hint of romance, some paranormal activity, strong use of setting, and a story that kept me reading, "Death Overdue" is a good start to this series.

About the author ~

Allison Brook is the pseudonym for
Marilyn Levinson, who writes mysteries, romantic suspense and novels for
kids. She lives on Long Island and enjoys traveling, reading, watching
foreign films, doing Sudoku and dining out. She especially loves to
visit with her grandchildren on FaceTime.

I'm really excited for this one and it sounds like a really fun read despite the issues. Hopefully a later book will clarify all the questions regarding Evelyn but until then it sounds like this one is pretty fun!

Health Note

I've got a shoulder injury, the exact nature of which my doctor is still determining. But it's affecting my ability to type. So posts will be delayed, and comments on other blogs, as well as my own, are on hiatus until typing is less painful or not painful at all.

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